The Department of Japanology was founded in 1987 as a part of the Institute of Oriental Philology (now Institute of Oriental Studies) of the Jagiellonian University on the initiative of professor Andrzej Czapkiewicz. However, already in the interwar period Japanese language was taught at the university by D. Carr and then – after WW II – by A. Dębnicki. After a long - break the course of Japanese language was reintroduced in the years 1979-1981. Then, in 1986, the interdepartmental course was launched and taught by Andrzej Kowalunas, the graduate of the japanology at the University of Warsaw.
The first Head of the Department of Japanology was Mikołaj Melanowicz (awarded the title of professor in 1989), who continued in his office until 2004. He was first accompanied by two famous scholars of Japanese from the University of Warsaw: professor Wiesław Kotański and professor Jolanta Tubielewicz. The language instruction was entrusted to the assistants, first the graduates of the University of Warsaw, later to the alumni of the Jagiellonian University (the first M.A. thesis was defended in the Department in 1992): Andrzej Kowalunas, Olga Lorencka, Ewa Kiełbińska, Bogusław Pindur, Joanna Socha-Gruszczyńska, Anna Horikoshi, Agnieszka Wzorek, Katarzyna Turczynowicz-Suszycka, Wioletta Laskowska, Elżbieta Brzostowska, Aleksandra Kołodziejczyk (Szczechla), Joanna Marszewska, Magdalena Łukaszewicz, Krzysztof Moch.
The language instruction would not have been as successful were it not for the native Japanese teachers: Suzuki Toshihiko, Iwata Miho, Sasaki Shinko, Kawakubo Shigeko oraz Misono Yasuko. From 1992 till 2003 Yoshida Masakatsu (living in Łódź) also contributed to the curriculum. Furthermore, a number of prominent specialists in language instruction have been continuously sent by the Japan Foundation: Tsuchiya Chihiro, Sakamoto Kazue, Yamane Chie, Nagumo Yaeko, Homma Junko, Yokono Toyoko, Sugō Sachie, Uryū Kayo, Tanaki Kaori, Nakano Jirō, Aonuma Kunio (from 2016).
The Japanese studies in Krakow flourished due to the support of specialists from various fields: professor Zofia Alberowa, curator of the Far East Art Department at the National Museum in Krakow, professor Rajmund Mydel from the Institute of geography (Jagiellonian University), Tom Wright, a specialist in Buddhism, professor Stanisław Filipek, professor Lidia Kasarełło. Until 2013 Japanese classical literature was taught by Krzysztof Olszewski, PhD. The Department of Japanology also prides itself in its fruitful cooperation with the Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology.
In 2000 the name of the department was changed to the Department of Japanology and Sinology. In 2004 professor Romuald Huszcza became the Head of the Department, performing this function until 2017, when professor Tomasz Majtczak was appointed the post.
In the academic year 2017/2018 the department offered courses taught by:
- Patrycja Duc-Harada, PhD
- Dariusz Głuch, PhD
- Prof. Romuald Huszcza
- Hanna Kelner, MA (doctoral candidate)
- Magdalena Kotlarczyk, MA (doctoral candidate)
- Aonuma Kunio
- Prof. Tomasz Majtczak
- Matsuzaki Yumiko, MA
- Stanisław Meyer, PhD
- Sakamoto Kazue, MA
- Katarzyna Sonnenberg, PhD
- Sonoyama Senri, PhD
- Sunakawa Kōta, MA
- Aleksandra Szczechla, PhD
- Joanna Świt
- Prof. Bartosz Wojciechowski
- Joanna Wolska, PhD
More information here.